dogs with a delicate disposition

It turns out that Phoebe has a particularly interesting quirk.

I’m not quite sure if it’s okay to laugh at such a sweet girl, but really it’s impossible not to.  (In all honesty, there may be some snorting involved as well.  I’m only human.)

Phoebe exhibits quite a few catlike qualities.  She’s dainty.  She often licks her legs as if bathing herself.  She’ll delicately climb up onto BrightSide’s lap one limb at a time, and she often sits with her front paws crossed demurely in front of her.

She’s got her rowdy side, sure, but her default mode is quiet, snuggly, and dignified.

Which is what made the first time I noticed this so riotously funny.

The kids had gone to bed.  BrightSide and I were kicked back in the family room, watching TV and enjoying the peace and quiet.  Gracie was passed out behind a chair (her days of rabble rousing and gluttony must be exhausting) and Phoebe was curled up at the other end of the couch, snoozing contentedly.

Everything was copacetic until Phoebe’s eyes suddenly popped open and she launched herself off the couch, walking quickly to the other side of the room.

It took a second to process everything – the quiet sound I’d heard, Phoebe’s extremely skittish reaction, her swift movement to a new location – and then it clicked.  I looked at BrightSide in disbelief and exclaimed, “Did she just scare herself with her own fart?!”

It was ridiculous.  She’s a dog, they’re nothing but bodily functions, but I couldn’t shake the impression.  So I started paying attention.

And sure enough, it happened again and again…Phoebe would be curled up, quietly snoozing away.  I’d hear a gentle ppfffftt (yep, she even farts delicately) followed by Phoebe quickly removing herself from the area, leaving anyone nearby to suffer the consequences.

Okay, I don’t know how many of you have experienced this, but truly…there are very few things quite as funny as a dog horrified by her own gas.

Poor Phoebe…she’d probably be mortified if she knew this was even on the blog!